


Eclipse

by PaperStarrs



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Anal Sex, Animagus, Asexual Character, Bisexual Blaise Zabini, Bisexual Theodore Nott, Child Abuse, Demisexuality, Dissociative Identity Disorder, First Kiss, First Time, Gryffindor, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Magic, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Ravenclaw, Slytherin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:49:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28580796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaperStarrs/pseuds/PaperStarrs
Summary: Woo Hanse threatened to runaway from home on more than one occasion - but hasn't? - except when he finally had the sense to actually run away from his horrible family life. His best friend, Melody Vale greeted him with open arms, just like she would. The pack of two were just two people who met by chance and that chance allowed them to become best friends. They were just two unregistered Animagi, running around Hogwarts with innocent personalities. Going unnoticed at Hogwarts, the two Animagi had no problem being a pack.The Triwizard Tournament is announced at Hogwarts and the Hogwarts students are being forced to interact with people outside of their social circle. All Hanse wants is to be ignored and not to have people interact with him that aren't Melody. However, curiosity also killed the dog, when Hanse finds Theo Nott alone in the Forbidden Forest during lunchtime at Hogwarts. The Slytherin looks upset and Hanse is a curious creature. Theo is unaware of other Animagi minus Professor McGonagall and doesn't think of anything of a Samoyed puppy wandering the forest in broad daylight.Hanse decides he wants to know what's on Theo's mind. But is he ready to find out?
Relationships: Theodore Nott/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> So... I have posted this story before - or was that Red Thread? I don't remember. Anyway, I wanted to post this story on here because, you know what, I'm not going to hide some of my stories away from AO3 anymore. I have so many stories, mainly in the Harry Potter fandom that I want to show off. Eclipse is one of those stories. I want to bring other stories to this platform that are HP related. I'm debating on converting completely over to AO3 this year. 
> 
> I love Hanse, I love Dae Joon, I love Mel. Hanse is a character that came out of a thought about making an Animagus character because I was interested in the concept. I may have dropped the ball on the whole Animagus!Hanse later on in the story since I got so caught up in the storyline. Hanse is a complicated character, and I think I did an alright job at creating a character with DID. DID is a very complex disorder and I did as much research as I could, some things could and most likely are wrong, but I did my best. It was my first time creating a character who has DID, a reader of mine suggested it to me when the story first was starting out, and I thought it was a brilliant idea. So, let me know if I get anything wrong.
> 
> Also, I think I got all the tags I needed. If not, let me know. I'll add any.

Thunder rumbled above the pure white puppy that was running away from a certain situation. The puppy whimpered when lightning flashed on his right. He slowed his pace for a moment only to jump at another crash of thunder echoed. The moment he felt the first raindrop hit his fur; the puppy panicked. The Samoyed just ran as fast as his legs could take him. He wanted to avoid the rain as much as possible, but soon enough it was starting to downpour, drenching him from head to toe. The puppy tried to think of positive things as he ran away from his home with just the clothes on his back and his wand. 

The Animagus was scared. And screwed. 

He only knew of one place to go – he just hoped that he was heading in the right directions. The moment he ran from his home, the Knight Bus did find him, just like it did for any lost or strained witch or wizard. However, the Animagus didn’t want the Ministry to find out about him running from home. He didn’t need the Ministry of Magic coming to his “ _rescue_ ” and bringing him back to his parents. 

When Woo Hanse figured out he could turn himself into an animal, his family began to hate him more than they already did. Then he was sorted into Hufflepuff house instead of Ravenclaw, that was the last straw in his parents’ eyes. Hanse was a one child that his parents gave him the bare essentials to get through Hogwarts and at home, but once they were invited to parties, Hanse was always forced to be someone he wasn’t. 

What made Hanse run away from home, and most likely get him disowned was the fact his older brother found out that Hanse was interested in guys over girls. Hanse didn’t put a label on himself, all he did was find guys more attractive than girls. His brother flipped out and he told their mother and father over dinner with their grandparents and some business clients of their father’s. Hanse hadn’t seen that look on his father’s face in _a long time_. And seeing the disappointed looks on his grandparents faces made Hanse feel more like an outsider than their grandson. 

He tried to explain himself to his family, but his father ordered him from the room. They didn’t want to even _hear_ Hanse’s side of the confession. Hanse left the dining room and ran the whole way to his bedroom. When the door closed behind him, Hanse let all his emotions freely come forward. The Hufflepuff didn’t understand how his parents could be so cold him and just ignore the fact that their son was interested in different things. He wasn’t the smartest, but he was brilliant in other areas, they just refuse to see it. 

Hanse kept to himself for the rest of the night until his father entered the room after the clients left. The Hufflepuff panicked – and now he had run away from home, heading in the direction he hoped was the right direction. The Samoyed paused for a brief moment, whining and whimpering softly when the scent started to decrease around him. The puppy started to worry about his travels. 

When the Knight Bus arrived to pick him up, he was brought to the Leaky Cauldron. The fourteen-year-old couldn’t have that. Before the owner realized that Hanse was there and the bus disappeared as quickly as it appeared, Hanse transformed into his puppy form and ran off. Since the Ministry had no idea about him being an Animagus, it just looked like a lost puppy, so Tom didn’t even the puppy a second thought. Hanse hoped that the Minister had the pea soup after that. 

The Hufflepuff’s fur was stuck to his body and he was shivering as he ran through the pouring rain. It just _had to_ rain that evening – it just threw another wrench into Hanse’s horrible evening. Hanse was trying to remember the location of the house he needed. He had been there twice since starting Hogwarts almost four years, but he was getting conflicting smells. The Samoyed whimpered when more thunder crashed overhead, scaring him. Hanse wasn’t the biggest fan of thunderstorms, even since he was a baby. His parents always complained about him crying when a thunderstorm started. 

The Samoyed kept himself as hidden as possible as he made his way down the Muggle street – his one and only friend, his best friend lived on said street. She lived with his parental grandparents after they won custody of her at five-years-old. Melody Vale grew up with her grandparents and they loved her dearly. Hanse knew that Melody would help him, she loved him. Ever since they found each other by accident at Hogwarts, in the Forbidden Forest, Melody and Hanse became friends and a little _pack_. 

The fourteen-year-old's tail was between his legs as he wandered the long and large street of the Muggle community. Hanse gulped as he stopped by each house, sniffing through the rain the best he could until he could pick up on Melody’s scent. The Samoyed was so lost, cold and scared that he hid himself inside a bush to escape the rain. He guessed he needed to wait it out until he could truly find the Vale home. 

He hoped he was in the right neighborhood. He only had been to Melody’s twice – both for the Easter holiday for the past two years. His parents didn’t celebrate Easter and forced Hanse to stay at Hogwarts while they planned things around his two older siblings, like his sister’s engagement party last April, which he missed. Not that he cared, Hanse disliked his sister’s fiancé or his brother's girlfriend. So, he was happy he missed the party to begin with. He did send his sister an engagement gift, it was sent back to the store for store credit and a Howler from his mother about getting his sister a _horrible_ engagement gift. Hanse decided to stop giving his family gifts after that. 

Hanse yelped as lightning crashed and thunder rumbled. He jumped and he realized he was currently taking shelter in a rose bush. The thorns were scraping and cutting at his skin. He sunk down, whimpering to himself. Where was Melody’s house? Hanse knew the color of the house; it was a deep blue color. It stood out in the neighborhood – maybe he took the wrong road? Shivering against the wind and the chill of the rain, Hanse had no choice but to stay hidden from the rain the best he could and hoped that he found Melody soon. 

The Hufflepuff lowered his head to his paws, watching the cars zoom up and down the street that early evening. He didn’t quite understand Muggle technology. His parents didn’t allow him to take Muggle Studies or even be around Muggles. Too mad that Melody’s grandparents were Muggles – her father was a Muggleborn and her mother was a pureblood. She was exposed to Muggle stuff as birth, and now she stayed in a Muggle town to be further into the culture. And her grandparents refused to move closer to her maternal grandparents, she no longer has contact with her parents or her grandparents on her mother’s side. 

‘ _Melody, where are you?’_ Hanse thought. 

He tried to snuggle himself further into the bush but he yelped and growled at the thorns stabbing him. Hanse had to find another hiding place, one where no one could actually see him and accidentally call animal control. It would be a hard conversation if animal control got involved and Hanse transformed back into a human. He didn’t need the Ministry finding out either. Hanse crawled out from under the bush, looking around. The rain was still coming down – he jumped when something hard hit his head. 

Looking up toward the darkened sky, he realized it was starting to _hail_ now. ‘ _Oh, bloody fantastic!’_ Hanse took off running, trying to avoid the falling pieces of frozen rain. However, the pieces seemed to aim themselves at Hanse, hitting him in the head and back. It didn’t feel very nice to be hit by the pellets of hail. The fourteen-year-old continued to run as fast as he could, even though he was growing tired. 

Hanse felt like he was pushing himself to the limit with keeping himself as a puppy – it was well past the point he normally stayed as a Samoyed. He could feel the magic being strained for the length of transformation. The hail didn’t help either. 

_‘Melody!’_ He cried as if the Gryffindor could hear him. 

Melody Vale stood on the closed in porch of her grandparents’ remodeled home, watching the storm roll in. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind on her face. Her grandmother stood behind her, watching her granddaughter smile at the weather. “You are quite the character, Mel,” she commented with a sweet smile. Melody looked over her shoulder at her grandmother, smiling brightly. The moment she went to open her mouth, she heard the cry. 

The Gryffindor’s head snapped toward the familiar cry. “Melody?” Ignoring her grandmother, Melody was confused. She _shouldn’t_ be hearing the cries of a _Samoyed_. None of the neighbors had one and no one had puppies either. Melody listened carefully for a moment until she heard it again. Grabbing the umbrella, she yanked open the screen door. “Melody!” Her grandmother tried to stop her but Melody ran straight into the height of the storm. Popping open the umbrella that was most likely going to break with the wind and the sizable hail, Melody ran straight into the street. “Hanse!” 

The Samoyed skidded to a stop the moment he heard his best friend’s shout. He was on the wrong side of the street – he needed to take the street before the one he was currently on. Darting across the street, nearly getting hit in the process and getting yelled at by a Muggle, Hanse ran through the narrow path between the two houses that were next to each other. Melody shouted over the thunder the crashed, having Hanse stop and whimper. Melody looked around, looking for the white puppy that she knew and loved. “Hanse!” She screamed, dropping the umbrella and running toward the puppy on the other side of the road. 

Her grandparents were shouting from the porch about Melody being reckless. However, the moment they saw the sixteen-year-old picking up a soaking wet mass of white fur. Melody was shocked to see her best friend in her neighborhood, how did he get there? How long had he been outside – he was _freezing_ and soaking wet. Melody carefully walked back to her home with Hanse in her arms. The puppy was shivering and whimpering as he tried to take the warmth from Melody. Her grandfather met them halfway, wrapping two towels around the each of them. 

The moment her grandmother saw the puppy, she knew it was Hanse. They knew that Melody and Hanse were Animagi and could transform into dogs. It was entertaining to watch them be playful as dogs. “Oh, Hanse,” the puppy whined as Lyla Vale gently looked him over. “Eric, start the fire.” She ordered her husband in passing as they entered the house. 

Melody pushed between her grandparents, hurrying straight to the bathroom. She needed to get Hanse cleaned up before he transformed back into his human self. Setting the Samoyed down carefully in the large tub, Melody began to gently rub the towel into Hanse’s fur, listening to the pained noises coming from his mouth. “Hanse,” the Samoyed turned his head to look at Melody, there were tears in her eyes. “What happened?” Hanse _always_ threatened to rub away from home, but Melody never thought he was serious about it. Hanse lowered his head, looking away from the Gryffindor. “Will you tell me once you are back to normal?” The puppy nodded his head. 

The Gryffindor cleaned Hanse the best she could, but she needed to see if he was hurt. As soon as she turned her back to him to toss the soiled towels out into the hall, Hanse hissed as he forced himself to become human again. Mel’s head snapped toward him, mouth falling open. The state of her best friend made her blood turn cold. Minus the obvious bruising from being hit by the falling hail, the _more_ concerning aspect was that Hanse had _a black eye and a busted lip_. Her heart broke instantly. She didn’t even want to know what else were bruised and beaten. Collecting herself for a moment, “Let’s get you out of these soaked clothes. Where’s your wand?” Hanse pulled his wand from the sleeve of his shirt, handing it over to Mel, flinching as he did. 

It took several minutes to peel the soaked clothes from his body and Melody had to keep in her rage. She plugged up the tub and allowed the showerhead to rain down on Hanse. Melody made sure it wasn’t burning hot but warm enough that Hanse could get clean. She’d have to talk to her grandparents when Hanse passed out later on that evening. Mel couldn’t even look at what Hanse had to go through before he ran from his home earlier that evening. 

Hanse felt safe enough to start crying in front of his best friend. Melody didn’t know her grandfather was peering into the bathroom to see how everything was going. Mel was leaned over the edge of the tub, hugging Hanse. “They can never hurt you again, Hanse. You are safe here, no one will hurt you here.” She whispered, her voice cracked, allowing the tears to fall with her best friend’s. 

Eric growled. _Bastards_.


	2. Two

Hanse sat in front of the fireplace, a blanket covering his head as he stared down at the tea that Lyla made him. After the shower and being dressed in Mel’s grandfather’s clothes, Hanse couldn’t stop himself from flinching or jumping when the storm continued. Melody was finishing up making room for the Hufflepuff, sighing heavily. She couldn’t understand why his parents would hurt him like that – in no way did Woo Hanse deserve that. He was far too kind and wonderful to be abused by his father. Wiping her eyes, Melody finished the makeshift bed, for once, she was happy she didn’t get rid of her trundle bed. 

She set his wand down onto the nightstand and grabbed a container of cream in the process before leaving the room. She could hear grandparents in the kitchen, keeping the conversation as quiet as possible. They didn’t want to upset Hanse any more than he already was. Mel moved from the doorway of the kitchen and headed to where Hanse sat. It looked like his tea was untouched and that he was still shivering. 

Sitting down next to him, Hanse glanced to the Gryffindor. “Can you look at me for more than a few seconds, Hanse?” She kept her voice soft and gentle. The fourth-year turned his head slowly, allowing her to see how badly the bruising was around his right eye and how swollen his bottom lip was. Mel said nothing as she inched closer, opening the container of cream. “You know how clumsy I actually am,” she gave him a lighthearted joke before scraping out a small portion of the cream with two fingers. “May I?” Melody asked before touching his face. 

Hanse nodded slowly, allowing her to touch his face. “It may sting.” He hissed at the touch of her fingers briefly on his skin. Melody gently dapped the cream under his eye, watching as the color faded dramatically. It was a specially crafted cream that Madam Pomfrey made the Gryffindor because she was always running into things or tripping over her own two feet. It was too the point that the mediwitch was tired of Mel coming into the Hospital Wing because of a bruise since she bruised easily. After crafting the cream, Melody only went to her if she ran out or actually needed medical attention. Hanse flinched as the cool cream was pressed into his skin, the stinging and tenderness numbed, allowing him to see better. 

“What happened tonight, Hanse?” Mel asked softly as her grandparents entered the room to catch on the fourteen and sixteen-year-old. Hanse sniffed before looking down at the cooled down tea. “Taejoon found out about the fact I tend to fancy guys than birds. He told everyone at a client dinner tonight – you didn’t see their faces, Mel, they looked _so_ disappointed.” Hanse began to choke up. 

Mel grew angry. “So what if you like guy? They shouldn’t be mad about that!” 

“Father’s a _pureblood_ , Mel. And according to what he told me before this,” he circled the side of his face. “I was in a marriage contract before birth. He said, and I quote, that “I’m a disappointment and they should have stopped at two.” Even though I’ve been reminded over and over and over _and over again_ that I was a mistake.” Hanse did disclose that to Melody when they started hanging out at Hogwarts. Melody was appalled then, and she was appalled now. So were her grandparents. Even when they won custody of Mel after the deaths of her parents’ unexpected and unexplained deaths, they told Melody was never a mistake, even if their son was only nineteen when she was born. 

“How often does he... _hurt you_ like that?” 

Hanse frowned. “Ever since I figured out I could turn into a Samoyed.” 

“ _What_?” 

“Even more when I got into Hufflepuff house – unfortunately, I was never the _only one_ , I’m just the only one who tries to push back. It’s the old pureblood ways, Mel, I can guarantee that _many_ of the Slytherin pureblood families do the same as my father does. It’s _old blood_ that do things against the Ministry’s ruling because _they are powerful_.” Hanse hated to admit it, there was nothing he could do to even stop his father from harming anyone in his family. 

Melody looked over to her grandparents, looking for help. Eric shook his head. “We’re just Muggles, love, we can’t go up against a powerful _wizarding family_ , considering we’re not supposed to know about magic. Hanse will be staying with us, Mel, nothing will happen to him.” He told her. 

Mel sighed. “But...” 

“I remember something your mother told me in confidence, Mel,” Melody looked at her grandmother. “Just because someone’s a pureblood doesn’t mean they were worthy of the title, hence why your mother went against her parents’ wishes to marry off to a rich wizard and got with our son. So you wouldn’t be a pureblood. She said that she was sick and tired of the pureblood status.” Lyla explained. 

The Gryffindor pouted; she didn’t want to see her best friend suffer anymore. 

“His parents will never touch him again,” Eric added. 

Hanse sighed. “Doesn’t matter anyway, as of twenty minutes ago, I’m no longer a part of the Woo family.” 

The Gryffindor gave him a confused look until he gestured to the window. Outside the window sat an owl with a letter in its beak. It blinked at them before dropping the letter and flying off. Her mouth fell open, wondering how the owl found him so easily. “The Trace, dummy...” Hanse muttered as he set the cup down and gathered the blanket and tightened it around himself. The Hufflepuff lowered his head, allowing the blanket to cover his head more. “I had nowhere else to go, Mel... you are the only person I trust.” He gulped back the tears that were threatening to fall freely. 

“Do not worry about that, Hanse, you made the right choice coming to us.” Lyla gave him a warm smile. Hanse hugged his arms around his legs, resting his cheek against his knee to look at the Vale family. Melody was beaming at the kindness of her grandparents. “I will send a letter to that headmaster of yours and explain the situation.” She added. 

Hanse thought for a moment. “I left all my stuff there – I couldn’t take it with me...” 

“We’ll buy you new things. Please don’t get upset, Hanse. You did what you had to – you left when you could have with the clothes on your back and your wand. We’ll handle the rest, don’t worry yourself sick.” Lyla leaned down, kissing the top of his head. Hanse said nothing, allowing the tears to fill his eyes – his parents never kissed his head or told me not to worry. “How about you two head off to bed? Hanse, you look extremely tired and probably want a comfortable bed to sleep in.” She stated. 

Mel stood up, holding out her hand for him to take. Hanse took it with ease, having her help him up to his feet. The sixteen-year-old took the cream with her, she wanted to apply some to his back before bed to numb it so he could sleep. Hanse followed his best friend, keeping a tight grasp on her hand. The moment they entered her room, she closed the door and hugged him tightly. “I’m so sorry, Hanse, I wish I noticed your pain sooner. I would have gotten my grandparents involved sooner-” 

Hanse shook his head. “They would have been shot down instantly, Mel. They wouldn’t be able to do anything to help me. I just needed that urge to finally leave – it just took me fourteen years, not the brightest thing I’ve done.” He took a seat on the trundle, wrapping the blanket tighter around himself. 

Mel knelt down to be eyelevel with the Hufflepuff. “No, it was _the smartest thing_ I think you’ve ever done so far. You got away from abusive parents and a toxic environment. You did the _strongest_ thing you could have done in that situation.” Melody praised him, making the Hufflepuff feel a tiny bit better about the situation he was previously stuck in. “And you heard Gramps and Nana, you are staying with us and we’ll support you. No one will find you here, Hanse.” 

Hanse cracked a small smile. “Thank you.” 

“What are best friends for?” Mel grinned at the brunet wizard in front of her. Standing up, she gently pushed the blanket from the top of his head. “Would you mind if I apply some of this cream to your back? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” Melody asked. Hanse hesitated before a brief moment before nodding his head at his best friend. 

**\---**

When Eric went to check on his granddaughter and Hanse, he saw that they both had gone into their dog forms and were snuggled against each other. The grandfather entered the room, draping a blanket over the sleeping puppies, knowing that they’d go back into their human forms within the middle of the night. Hanse had his head pressed into Melody’s chest, his jaw was flinching and a small whimper escaped. Eric couldn’t believe what Hanse had to deal with – and he wished the wizard said something earlier. Not that two Muggles could go up against a wizarding family with as much power as the Woo family had, but they would have brought it to the Ministry’s attention. 

The Muggle reached down, gently running his fingers through the white fur that belonged to Hanse to settle him. The puppy’s jaw stopped flinching and he nuzzled closer to the Australian Shephard. Mel had a paw draped across the Samoyed, protecting him and her chin sat on the top of his head. Once he knew they were safe, he kept the door open a crack to let some light into the room. Melody didn’t like to admit it but she was afraid of the dark, so Eric and Lyla kept the hall light on for the teenager. 

Making his way into the kitchen to speak with his wife, Lyla was standing in front of the sink, aimlessly washing a cup that looked like it had been cleaned five times over. “Good thing that’s glassware and not the decorated mug that Mel made you for your birthday.” He pointed out as he went to the fridge to pull out the milk for his tea. Lyla looked down to see the glass in her hand – she hadn’t even realized that the cup was in her hand. She had far too much on her mind. 

Mel’s owl hooted at the couple, sitting on the ledge over the sink. “Yes, yes, I will write that letter, Starlight.” Lyla set the cup upside-down onto the drying towel and turned off the running water. 

“Sit, love,” 

“How could someone be so cruel to a child?” 

“He got out when he could, Lyla. Nothing else can happen to him now that he’s here.” 

“That doesn’t stop me from wishing those _purebloods_ realized what they were doing is horrible.” Lyla sighed as she took a seat at the table. “How are they?” 

“Passed out as puppies, I’ve just never seen Hanse so scared in my life.” Eric commented as he walked over to the kettle to begin boiling the water. He looked over to his wife, “He was whimpering in his sleep until I petted his head then he settled.” Eric added. 

Lyla closed her eyes. “It sounds like Hanse never felt a single ounce of love in his life.” She was angry at Hanse’s parents, if she ever ran into them, she’d give them a piece of her mind. Boy, did Lyla Vale wish she could go straight to where the Woo family lived and swear up and down at Hanse’s parents for treating him like garbage. “He doesn’t deserve it.” 

“No child who has been abused deserves it, dear.” He reminded his wife. Lyla went silent, thinking about their daughter-in-law for a moment. She was in a similar situation as Hanse, but she got also wasn’t as innocent and trying to see past the harmfulness of her parents. She saw the bad the instant she entered Hogwarts and wanted out. Hanse was far too innocent to realize how bad things were already were just going to get worse – he had a lot of trusting of his parents, regardless of what they did to him and his siblings. Lyla recalled that Hanse told them about how his older sister and brother were the pride and joy of his parents and he was just thrown off to the side like a ragdoll. He tried everything to make his parents notice him – between trying to get good grades and trying out for Quidditch and doing _everything_ to get his parents attention. Nothing worked, they just belittled him. 

“I got the letter that was addressed to Hanse, he was right about being disowned. He’s also been completely cut off from the bank and the Woo fortune later on in life. They want nothing to do with him.” Eric said, glancing into the living room to the fireplace that was starting to die. The letter was set aflame the moment Eric read the very first line. He decided that Hanse didn’t need to see the words written and just tossed it into the fire. “We should contact that witch and her husband who helped us when we gained custody of Mel.” He stated. 

“Oh, Andi and Ted?” 

He nodded his head. 

“I think I still have the phone number that Ted gave us in case we needed them again. I’m pretty sure Mel told me their daughter graduated before Hanse entered Hogwarts. Hopefully they can still help us out...” Lyla had a bit of faith they could, but when it came to the Woo family, it would be hard, she already knew that. 

“Call them in the morning, but I’d suggest writing Albus Dumbledore now, let him know. All though, I’m pretty sure he already is aware of the situation.” Eric said as the kettle started to blow, taking it off the burner, he walked to the table to pour the hot water into two cups. Lyla removed herself from the table to grab her stationary to write the headmaster about Hanse’s situation. The moment she arrived back to the table, she looked at her husband. “Then he should have done something if he’s this _knowing_ wizard.” There was a slight bitter tone to her voice. 

Eric sighed as he poured some milk into his tea. “According to what Mel has told us, Dumbledore doesn’t try to get into the affairs of the students and their parents.” 

“He should.” 

Lyla took the cup off the saucer, sipping on the tea. She uncapped the pen and began to write to the headmaster. Even if he did indeed know about Hanse running away from home and the abuse he was enduring, she felt like the headmaster needed a heads up for the upcoming school year. She was surprised that no one was at their door already from the wizarding world – considering a fourteen-year-old was running around Muggle London as a puppy, that’s quite suspicious. She was also surprised no one called animal control, it wasn’t like a Samoyed puppy to run freely through the streets of London in a thunderstorm. 

Once the letter was finished, Lyla stuffed it into the envelope and had Starlight take it into her beak. The owl took off the moment the window in the kitchen was opened for her. It was still odd to Eric and Lyla to have an owl as a _pet_ but Starlight was the kindest owl they ever experienced. “We should head to bed, before the storm gets any worse.” That was Lyla’s worry. Hanse was frightened of thunderstorms. She hoped he slept through it tonight – he did have a long journey from his home to their hometown, Hanse better be dead to the world tonight. 

Looking outside at the dark sky and the pouring down rain, Lyla hoped that everything worked out in their favor. Hanse didn’t deserve his family – Mel was his family. Lyla and Eric pretended not to notice that the two of them followed each other around like _a pack_. They tried not to show it too much when Hanse stayed with them for Easter, but the grandparents certainly noticed the pack-like nature. 

She just hoped nothing happened between them.


	3. Three

The Tonks’ were called the following morning a few hours before Hanse even woke from his sound slumber. The fourteen-year-old was completely dead to the world when Melody woke up around six. She didn’t dare wake Hanse up; he needed his sleep – she'd just go for her run later on in the afternoon with him. Melody slipped from the bed, making sure Hanse had something to snuggle up against in the process. They both had slipped back into their human forms sometime in the middle of the night, just like usual. The Gryffindor tiptoed from her bedroom and got started on her morning routine, skipping the obvious run to keep herself fit.

The moment she entered the kitchen to make herself some breakfast around 6:50, she was greeted by Ted and Andi Tonks – they were two people that Mel didn’t know overly well. She just knew they help her grandparents with the custody battle. “Oh, good morning.” Mel greeted with a smile as she paused in the doorway of the kitchen. 

“We hoped you’d sleep in.” 

“You know me, nana, I’m up early for my run. Hello Mr. and Mrs. Tonks, I wasn’t aware you two would be coming by this early morning.” Melody spoke as she walked through the kitchen to go to the fridge to cook up from breakfast. 

Ted chuckled. “Blame Andi for that. I tried to tell her we should wait but she insisted.” 

Melody nodded her head as she pulled out the eggs. “Um, nana, what’s going on?” 

“Your grandfather called them this morning to have Andromeda look over Hanse – she has been helping witches and wizards throughout the years, she even helped your parents before you were born.” Lyla explained, making the teen girl pause by the counter. She set the eggs down and looked over her shoulder to her grandparents and their friends. “Oh...” 

Gripping the counter, Melody looked down at the carton. “He’s still asleep.” She mentioned. 

Andromeda could see the girl’s tension in her shoulders. Her grandparents hadn’t told Ted or Andi about that fact that both Mel and Hanse could transfigure themselves into dogs. At the moment, Melody was concerned that Andromeda Tonks would rat them out to the Ministry and have Hanse sent home. She knew in the back of her mind that it wasn’t true but she couldn’t stop herself from thinking it. Mrs. Tonks helped her parents – her grandfather spoke a lot about them when Mel was growing up. Andi helped her mum through the pregnancy during the first wizarding war. She was just going to look over Hanse and see what she could do before her grandparents contacted the Muggle doctor in the neighborhood. 

“Do not worry, young lady, Hanse is in good hands with me around. I do not wish to harm him or scare him.” Andromeda spoke, trying to set Melody’s mind at ease. It didn’t work. “I would never tell the Ministry about his whereabouts, if that’s what’s troubling you, Melody.” She added, trying to make the teenager to see her side. Mel glanced over her shoulder, eyes narrowing at the witch. 

“He doesn’t like doctors.” 

“I’m no doctor or Healer.” 

“Are you aware that Hanse has been abused by his parents for years now?” Melody asked with a slightly raised tone. Andromeda remained calm, knowing what Lyla and Eric told her over the phone. She nodded her head at the teen. “I know the type of parents the Woos are, Melody. I came from a very similar family myself.” Andi stated. Melody froze in place by the counter – she wasn’t aware that the Andromeda came from a pureblood family. She didn’t come off as a pureblood, she didn’t seem to hate everything to do with Muggles or hate anyone under her own blood status. “I have been made aware of Hanse’s situation and the potential reaction from him if he thinks I’m going to take him back to his parents or tell the Ministry right where he is. You have my word I would never do that to him. Or you.” 

Melody suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore. “I’m going to go sit on the porch.” 

“Mel-” 

“Don’t worry too much about Melody, Lyla. She’s protective of Hanse, I can tell. It’s almost like she would do anything for him and protect him from even me.” Andi said to the grandmother. Lyla sighed as she turned her attention to the couple at the kitchen table. “I’m not sure why she feels this year, but it is nice to see a friendship like theirs.” 

Eric sighed. “Mel loves Hanse.” 

“Should I jot down a potential note to help with _something_ in the distant future between them? You know how well I create and throw parties and weddings.” Andromeda stated. Lyla and Eric shook their heads instantly at her request. Andi tilted her head in confusion. The grandparents glanced to each other. “Hanse and Melody are Animagi.” Eric said. 

The mouths of the Tonks’ fell open. It was fairly uncommon for two _teenagers_ to conjured up _that much_ magic and transfigure themselves into animals. It took _years_ of practice to even transfigure simple objects into animals. “They are both dogs, puppies honestly.” Lyla began. “We didn’t know Mel was one – or even what an Animagus _was_ until she explained it to us – she figured it out in her third-year. She didn’t know Hanse at the time, but when Mel did, they instantly became best friends. They call themselves a pack, regardless of it only being the two of them.” Lyla explained. 

Andromeda now understood why Mel was being defensive about her looking over Hanse. The wizard didn’t want anyone to know what he could actually do – being fourteen and an Animagus was a lot of magic for one person to handle. The fact he could even do it meant that Hanse was a lot stronger than people gave him credit for. Andi heard about and knew about the Woo family – more about the two older children and their accomplishments, not much was said about Hanse over the past fourteen years of his life. Andromeda knew a toxic family when she saw one, she grew up in one. 

“I will do by best, Lyla,” 

“Please do.” Lyla covered her face for a moment. “The bruises that are all over his body are _horrible_.” Andromeda knew exactly what she was talking about – not firsthand, but she knew. The witch nodded her head. “He doesn’t deserve it.” 

“No child does. I will do what I can, then I will suggest what you two will do when you take him to a Muggle doctor. You say there’s one in the neighborhood?” Andi questioned. Eric nodded his head. “About five doors down, moved here several years ago. He’s kind and has helped anyone in the neighborhood from his home.” He explained. 

Andromeda hmm-ed. It sounded like there may be a witch or wizard in his house then. Or at least someone who knew about magic. 

**\---**

Hanse had help to put his shirt back on – Melody was the one who did. Andromeda Tonks was kinder than the Hufflepuff thought she would be. He heard about the Black family from his father, being friends with some of the family in years past and had been invited to certain weddings when he was younger. Hanse didn’t realize that Andromeda was shunned from her family after marrying her husband. It was obvious she loved him and would help out where she could. “No amount of times as someone says ‘I’m sorry’ to you will help you heal your mind and body.” Andromeda told him. Hanse glanced over his shoulder to the witch – she was right about that. “I know it will be difficult to talk about, Hanse, but from every medical spell I’ve conducted this morning, you are in perfect health, it just seems like your parents – or just your father – were abusing you out of, if I dare say it, _fun_.” Even Andi had a hard time with Hanse’s abuse. 

The moment Hanse removed his shirt, after a little convincing from Melody, her heart dropped. Never in her life, not even from watching from afar when her cousins were abused, did she expected to see his back look so purple and blue. Hanse closed his eyes. “When did it all start?” 

The fourth-year gulped. “When I was three...” Mel’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open. “At first, I didn’t realize what my father did was wrong, I thought _I_ did something wrong. But... then it continued and every little thing I did to try and convince my parents that I wasn’t being bad and that I was working hard on my studies, they’d still hurt me.” Hanse’s voice cracked with a few words, allowing Melody to reach out and take hold of his hand with both of hers. “It _really_ started when I ran off during a party they were throwing – I don’t do well with a lot of people around me; I get overwhelmed and nervous. So, I ran. In the process of me running, I tried to focus all my magic on sending me somewhere else, because at the time my magic was still going haywire. I realized that I turned into a Samoyed.” Hanse explained. 

“Samoyed?” 

“A fairly sizable white, fluffy dog, Mrs. Tonks. But he’s in puppy form rather than a full grown one.” Mel told her. Andi nodded her head. 

Hanse wanted to curl himself up on the bed and forget everything that had been happening to him. “When my parents found me after the party had finished, I was hidden deep in my closet on top of a pile of clothes, in my puppy form. They screamed and shouted. _That’s_ when my father’s belt got involved.” Hanse licked his lips, gulping in order to control his emotions. “It just increased more once I got sorted into Hufflepuff in my first-year, everyone in my family had been sorted into Ravenclaw... you probably understand what happened after that.” Hanse lowered his head, trying his hardest not to whimper. 

Andromeda sure did. “And what made you run away from home, Hanse?” 

“They didn’t like that I don’t fancy girls.” 

_Now_ Andromeda understood. It was pretty common for pureblood families, even if their children _aren’t_ in arranged marriages or have potential partners for their children. It had died down over the years, but there were _certain_ families – like the Woos and Malfoys – who still conducted with the _old ways_ of protecting the bloodline. If Hanse was serious about saying he wasn’t into the female form, then that would have sent his father on an unnecessary rage. Andi felt there was more to the story than just Hanse not finding girls sexually attractive. “I see, I see.” Andromeda hummed to herself for a moment – it wasn’t the first time she came across someone who’s family disapproved of their love life. 

She told him to face her briefly, Hanse turned but kept his face down. Andromeda could see the cut lip and the bruising around his cheek. Gently raising his chin, she wasn’t surprised to see the tears threatening to fall. “Is it hard to keep your eye open?” He nodded his head slowly, allowing his tears to fall freely. He flinched as the tears rolled down the scrapes on his face. “Let’s get your face healed up.” She let her hand fall from his face and reached into her purse to pull out a few things. 

Hanse watched her carefully. “My daughter is extremely clumsy – I know you know my daughter, Melody.” Mel nodded her head. “She can barely walk without tripping over her own two feet. I keep many potions around to help with the bruising and cuts. What did you previously use to treat that?” She questioned. 

“I’m almost just as clumsy as your daughter.” Melody gestured to the cream by her bed. “Madam Pomfrey created a salve for me because I’m just as clumsy, if not more than Tonks is.” She stated. Andromeda picked up to give it a sniff. “I put it under his eye and cheek along with his back, just to... _dull it_.” Melody could see that Hanse was getting uncomfortable with the talk about his abuse. The sixteen-year-old placed her hand on his shoulder. 

The witch said nothing as she tried to figure out what was inside Mel’s cream for her clumsiness. It seemed to have the same ingredients as the ones that she had for when Nymphadora tripped over something, but there was something else in it. Andi looked at Hanse’s face again, seeing the bruise healing itself nicely with just one application. “How many times have you applied this?” She asked. 

“Twice.” Mel held up two fingers. 

“How often do _you_ use it?” 

Melody grew quiet. “More times than I’d care to admit,” she heard a small chuckle from Hanse. She almost hit him upside the head but stopped herself – no wonder he always flinched before she would do it. Her hand lowered to her side. “But as of recently, not as much. I do apply some last night because I did run straight into a thunder and hail storm to help out Hanse, but other than that, not much.” She confessed, placing her hand behind her back. 

Andromeda nodded her head as she placed the container down. Uncorking a vial, she passed it to Hanse. He gave her a curious look. “This will help the bruising of your ribs and spine. I have another to help with the external bruising.” Hanse hesitated before taking the vial. The Hufflepuff gulped it down, giving a disgusted look as he swallowed it. “Yes, it’s got a bitter taste, but it will help with the pain and the bruising within the next few hours.” He passed the vial back to the witch, trying to get the taste off his tongue. 

She passed another to him. Andromeda explained it would help with everything else – the bruising should be fully healed and faded by the end of the weekend, if not she handed over another cream that could help. She suspected he wouldn’t use it because it looked like he wasn’t used to having someone else take care of him, or take care of him in general. “Have you ever broken a bone, Hanse?” He cringed at the question, refusing to answer the former Slytherin. 

Andromeda sighed heavily – she suspected so. But it looked like the bones were healed nicely, but she wasn’t an expert in healing. Hanse would have to see the Muggle doctor to be sure. She stood up from the chair, pushing it back into place where Mel previously had it in the corner of the room near the bookcase. “I would suggest not going into your Animagus form until the two potions fully take effect but I feel like you’d do it anyway.” She eyed the two teenagers. Mel turned her head, trying not to show her smirk and Hanse said nothing. 

As soon as the witch would leave the room, Hanse had already planned to transfigure himself into his Samoyed form and find a place to hide for a few hours. Melody would find him and try and get him to play but Hanse just wanted to be alone for a little while. “Take care, Hanse. I hope your parents realize how much they are about to miss out on.” Hanse glanced up to the mother, seeing her expression. It hurt her to see _him_ hurt – she was probably thinking about her own daughter, if anything like that happened to her, she’d give everyone hell. But the Woo family were powerful and one wrong word about them and the person wouldn’t be seen again. When the person reappeared, they’d have no memory of _anything_. 

Hanse sighed heavily, looking at the container of cream in his hands. He placed it next to him before rolling onto his side, showing his back to Mel. “She was nice, right?” Mel questioned. 

The Hufflepuff shrugged his shoulders at his best friend. Mel looked down at the floor. “I’m going to go and get us some lunch, all right? I know you are starving.” Hanse wasn’t, but he didn’t say anything to the sixth-year. Melody sighed heavily as she walked from her bedroom, keeping the door open. Hanse glanced over his shoulder to watch the Gryffindor walk off. He waited until she was far enough away before he closed his eyes and thought hard about becoming a Samoyed. 

As Mel made her way to the kitchen, she stopped when she heard her grandparents talking with Andi and Ted. “I’m just reminding you, I’m not expert when it came to healing and medicine – he will certainly need to see that Muggle doctor you spoke about. Other than the bruises all over his back and ribcage, I don’t suspect anything’s wrong with him...” 

“ _However_?” Eric knew there was more to what she was letting on. 

“I _suspect_ there’s more to Hanse’s story than he’s willing to tell. He seemed rather skittish to speak ill of his family. I only know so much about the Woo family, I am aware that they don’t particularly talk about him, in the conversations I’ve had with people outside of their circle of friends.” Andromeda spoke. 

Lyla gave her a curious look. “What do you mean, Andi?” Mel was even confused about what Andromeda was talking about. “Mel told us everything she knew and suspected now that Hanse has come into our care. They have been best friends since his second-year...” Lyla trailed off. 

“You haven’t kept anything from your best friend before, Lyla?” Lyla fell silent. Mel glanced over her shoulder to her best friend – was Hanse keeping something _from her_ , other than the abuse? Why? “It’s just what I suspect, that’s all. I’ve been around all types of people in my years, even Nymphadora’s friends have been interesting and have their own secrets. It would not surprise me if Hanse was hiding something about his family or _himself_ from the world.” Melody looked toward the living room, chewing at her bottom lip. 

Eric leaned back in the chair. “Will he trust us?” 

“I think he needs someone different to trust with _those_ secrets. It may be your granddaughter, it may not.” Andromeda stated. Melody’s heart sunk – Hanse _may not tell her_? The Gryffindor started frowning, why wouldn’t he tell her? 

The Samoyed poked his head out of the bedroom, seeing Mel leaning against the wall near the living room. He quickly moved down the hall to the backdoor that was wide open. The puppy nudged the screen door open and slipped outside. He knew that Mel had a hiding place in the back garden, Hanse decided to go there and have some quiet time with himself. He needed to remind himself that _he wasn’t home_. His parents _couldn’t_ hurt him anymore. _He was safe_. Hanse made his way to the secret hole that Mel made and hid away from the world to give himself space and thinking time. He whimpered, covering his nose with his paws. 

Would the nightmares finally end? 


	4. Four

Just like Andromeda Tonks said, Hanse’s bruises were healed and faded out by the end of the weekend. He was currently looking at himself in the mirror in the bathroom after his shower to wash off the tacky cream from his body. The Hufflepuff wiped off his face, staring at the reflection of himself. His lip was still a bit swollen and tender if he touched it, but his black eye was fully healed and he looked less tired. The bags under his eyes were a little present but he didn’t care about that. He moved back to have a look at his back and side. Lifting his arm, the bruises that covered his ribcage were completely gone and he didn’t feel like he was struggling to breathe anymore. The potions certainly worked. Turning his body slightly, he pushed down the towel down to his hips to have a good look at his back, the best he could. The Hufflepuff saw some discoloration from the bruises and cuts but they were nearly gone as well – perhaps another day and they’d be healed up fully. 

Lyla and Eric told him that he’d be seen by the doctor in the neighborhood before they brought him out into Muggle London. He understood the _why_ \- they just wanted to make sure he was healthy. But he wasn’t fond of healers or doctors, in this case. The Hufflepuff wasn’t sure what to expect, they told him that the doctor made house calls more often than actually being at his office. Hanse wasn’t sure why, nor were Eric and Lyla. Mel hadn’t seen him in quite some time either. She just said that he was a kind and sweet gentleman. Hanse didn’t believe her. 

The Hufflepuff dried himself off and changed into some clothes of Eric’s. Lyla had told Mel and Hanse that she’d take then shopping soon because Hanse couldn’t continue to wear Mel’s grandfather’s clothes. He wished he was of age so he could dry his hair without air drying. That was about _the only_ thing Hanse missed from his home – his parents and siblings would always use magic and everything was done by magic. He even did magic on occasion, small things of course, so the Ministry didn’t suspect anything. Hanse would just have to get used to the fact he couldn’t do magic until he went off to Hogwarts for another year. 

Hanse walked out of the bathroom, rubbing at his head, allowing his hair to air dry. 

Lyla was outside, tending to the front yard while Eric was already off to work for the day. Hanse wasn’t sure where Mel had run off to, but he was currently alone for a few minutes. He didn’t have much, just his wand. The Hufflepuff walked to the open front door to have a peek outside. He hadn’t been outside since the thunderstorm, there was some damage done to the trees and the houses around them. “Did you enjoy your shower, Hanse?” Lyla called out as she stood up, wiping her hands on her jeans. 

The Hufflepuff hid his face but nodded. “Very good then.” She noticed that Hanse’s hair was dripping wet. “We have a blow dryer if you need it.” 

“A what?” 

Lyla had to remember that Hanse was never around Muggle technology before. Even when he came with her granddaughter, they were sneaky with the magic, obviously. The grandmother decided to abandon her gardening for a little while to show Hanse some Muggle technology. He was confused the first time seeing the hair dryer, and even more confused when Lyla plugged it on and turned it on. He had no idea what to do. She had him sit down in front of her vanity in her and Eric’s bedroom, using a comb and drying his hair. Hanse was stiff as a board, wondering what he could do. “You can move, Hanse, you don’t need to sit so stiffly.” Lyla told him as she placed the comb down and began to run her fingers through his hair. 

Hanse’s eyes closed, feeling a tad bit _odd_. 

Lyla gave the fourteen-year-old a curious look. She turned off the hair dryer and combed through his hand with her fingers. “Has anyone played with your hair, Hanse?” He shook his head instantly, keeping his mouth shut. “Never? Not even Mel?” Hanse honestly didn’t like being touched that often. He was getting more and more used to it because of Melody, but he wasn’t familiar with the aspect of just running someone’s fingers through their hair or a simple touch of someone’s skin. Hanse’s parents weren’t people who showed their affection toward their children in the normal way. 

The grandmother shouldn’t have been so surprised in the fact that Hanse probably never had his mother run her fingers through his hair to calm him down or comfort him. How did he survive all these years? 

Once Lyla was finished, she told the teen that Mel would be back shortly. She, apparently, helps out at a daycare a few houses down on the weekdays in the early morning. 

Lyla could see that Hanse was bored and wished he could get out of the house – he would be able to soon, as soon as the doctor looked him over. After the doctor looked over both Hanse and Mel, Lyla would allow him to explore as he wished – in both human and puppy form. She smoothed down his hair, watching the gears move in his head. “This weekend, I promise you can leave this house freely.” Hanse didn’t believe her. 

He had heard that before. 

**\---**

Mel was able to convince her grandparents to allow Hanse out of the house in puppy form. At first, they denied it, but after a few minutes, they decided that it wasn’t a good idea to keep Hanse cooped up. The Hufflepuff nearly jumped out of his skin the moment Melody told him he could leave the house with them on an evening walk. Hanse was in his Samoyed form instantly, without much trouble or pain, trying to get Mel’s attention. She had to tell him that she had to stay in her human form, which he whined about, but accepted it. It would be hard to explain to the neighbors where Mel was and how Lyla and Eric _magically_ had two dogs. 

Hanse stuck close to Melody as they walked down the street casually, allowing the summer breeze to take over. She grinned into the breeze, holding out her arms and closing her eyes. Hanse looked up at the Gryffindor, seeing his best friend happy about living in a Muggle town. Hanse thought it was hard to pretend to be a Muggle then go away for almost a year for schooling and be a wizard. Mel never complained. 

Mel looked down at the puppy by her leg, she reached down, patting the top of his head. Hanse’s eyes closed. “Come on,” Mel began to run off, having her grandparents laugh. Hanse’s eyes widened before chasing after the sixteen-year-old, barking after her happily. For the first time in several weeks since summer began, Hanse was _happy_. Even if it was just in Samoyed form. 

At one point, Hanse thought about staying fully in his Samoyed form, but he knew he’d hate it after several days. 

Hanse was bouncing around, trying to get Mel’s attention as her grandparents caught up with the pair. Melody was on her knees in front of Hanse, laughing as she attempted to keep him from licking at her. “Hanse, stop!” Mel giggled loudly, gently pushing him back from time to time. The Gryffindor hugged the puppy just as another family walked by. Two little kids, no more than four and five squealed and quickly approached. Hanse yelped the moment one of the kids got a little too rough with him. He whimpered as he quickly hid behind Mel, attempting to hide himself away from the two little kids that didn’t know any better. 

Their names were called out, making Hanse hunch his shoulders as the yelling. “You do not run right up to a puppy like that, you two know better.” Hanse peeked around Melody, seeing that the father wasn’t as mad as he thought he was. His arms were crossed, sure, but the tone suggested that the kids already knew not to run off and scare innocent animals. There was an echo of ‘sorry daddy’ before the backed off. Mel stood up, having Hanse grab onto her pant leg so she didn’t go anywhere. “Oh, good evening, Lyla, Eric. Good evening, Melody, it’s nice to see you again.” 

“It’s nice to see you too, Dr. Tate.” Mel smiled. 

“Melody, look at you.” The woman approached and Hanse removed his teeth from his best friend’s pant leg. He peered upward to the woman – why did she look familiar to him? The Samoyed could see that the woman was married to the doctor – was he the doctor Lyla spoke about? - and the two kids were theirs. But _why_ did she look so familiar to the Hufflepuff? “How’s Hogwarts?” 

_Pardon?_ Hanse thought, attention snapped straight to Melody – she didn’t say that the doctor and his wife were _wizards_. 

“Wonderful as ever, Mrs. Tate,” 

“I told you, Melody, you can call me Eunyoung.” Eunyoung... why was that name familiar? “Thank you, again, with the help. I really needed it this morning.” She smiled brightly at the witch. 

Mel smiled back. “It’s no problem. It gets me out of the house during the summer, I will do it anytime you guys call. Just tell Joon to call – speaking of which, where is Joon?” 

_Joon?_ Hanse moved around his best friend, sitting next to her on the right side. Eunyoung noticed the puppy before addressing Melody. “He’s coming. _Slowly_. Dae Joon, do hurry up!” Hanse sat straight, head turning toward the redheaded teenager who was taking his time to approached his parents. If Hanse was in his human form, his mouth would have fallen straight open. The teen may have grown up but Hanse _knew him_. 

Yang Dae Joon was his only friend for several years of his life – from the moment he was about eight-months-old until he was five. After that, his parents pulled him from daycare and sent him straight to tutoring sessions for Hogwarts until his letter arrived from the school. Hanse didn’t know _why_ his parents pulled him from the daycare or where Joon and his family went after he was pulled away from him forcefully. 

Joon looked nearly the same, just with red hair instead of his natural dark brown. He approached his mother and father, giving a polite smile. Hanse couldn’t take his eyes off of Joon, not aware that Melody had a pink blush across her face and she was tucking the hair behind her ear in the process of him approaching. “Hello and good evening,” he greeted kindly. Joon looked down, seeing the white puppy. 

Hanse froze in place as Dae Joon leaned down, holding out his hand for the puppy to sniff. Hanse locked eyes with someone he never thought he’d see again. The Samoyed moved forward slightly, sniffing his hand like a normal dog would do. Hanse had to pretend he was an actual dog, not a wizard posing as one. Joon scratched at his head. “I didn’t know you got a puppy, Mel, you should bring him by the daycare some time. The kids would love to see him.” Joon stood up before Hanse was ready to have him stop the petting. 

“What’s his name, Mel?” The five-year-old asked. 

Melody glanced down to Hanse, seeing he was staring straight at Joon. Why? She shook her head to collect herself. “His name is Hanse; I’m watching him for a friend.” She lied through her teeth. Dae Joon tilted his head as his mother sighed heavily. 

“Hanse... we knew a Hanse.” Eunyoung looked sad. 

If Hanse had the crazy mind to do what he was thinking, he would. But he didn’t want to scare them or the neighbors around them. “I do hope he’s all right,” she added. Kneeling down, the mother petted the puppy. “I didn’t think I’d hear that name again.” Hanse wanted to show himself but Melody tapped her leg into his side to stop him from _actually_ doing it. Hanse looked at the mother in question, seeing the sadness. “I hope they all are away from their parents, that was my wish from the very beginning.” 

Hanse couldn’t remember what happened between his parents and Joon’s - he just knew there was a fight and he wasn’t allowed to be at their house anymore. His parents refused to even talk about the family after whatever happened, they acted like they never heard of the Yang family. Hanse wanted to know why. He nuzzled the woman’s hand, making her chuckle. “What a sweetheart.” 

Joon still looked at the puppy before glancing up to Mel. The sixteen-year-old was trying not to look _scared_ of something. Her eyes were locked on the puppy at the feet. 

Melody saw her grandparents pull the doctor off to the side to speak in private for a moment while the others were preoccupied by Hanse. The Samoyed was now comfortable with the two little kids, allowing them to pet him. Dae Joon stood next to Melody, arms crossed. “Is your friend Korean?” He asked, out of the blue. 

The Gryffindor’s attention snapped to the redheaded teen next to her. She gulped as she nodded her head. “He’s currently away from home right now and asked me to watch his puppy for him.” Mel was shit at lying, but she hoped that Joon didn’t see through her bullshit. He gave her a skeptical look. Joon looked toward his step-father, seeing that the doctor was having a deep conversation in low tones with Mel’s grandparents, his eyes narrowed. 

“What are they talking about?” 

Melody shrugged her shoulders. “Probably about the appointment they made with your dad – yeah, that’s probably it.” 

“Is everything okay?” Dae Joon knew that Mel was a witch – he found that out the moment he watched her do a trick to entertain a two-year-old for a moment. The paper stars that one of the other kids made were floating in midair to stop the little one from crying. He confronted her shortly after the children left. She found out in that moment that Dae Joon was a Squib. Joon’s parents were both wizards and met at Hogwarts – he didn’t go into the details about what happened to his father, only that his step-father was a Squib like him. It was unclear of his two siblings were going to be wizards, they assumed they weren’t so far. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Um... the appointment is really for _another_ friend of mine, actually.” Mel rubbed the back of her neck, trying to escape the conversation. However, Hanse walked straight over to the pair, standing up on his hind legs and got Joon’s attention. The redhead laughed as he caught the puppy’s front paws, seeing how excited the Samoyed was. “Hanse, careful.” 

Joon shook his head at her, laughing. “It’s fine. He’s excitable. Almost like he can understand us.” Mel chuckled awkwardly, glancing down to Hanse. He was _clearly_ doing something on purpose. The puppy settled down the moment the doctor called the family’s attention. He tried not to look too upset with the fact that Joon had to walk away with his family. The Animagus watched the person he never thought he’d see again walk off. 

As soon they were out of sight, Hanse transformed himself back into a human, clearly looking upset. Mel wasn’t sure what happened as Hanse broke down. She rushed forward, wrapping her arms around the fourteen-year-old. “Hanse, what’s the matter?” Mel was scared as she held him up as his knees fell forward. They both landed to their knees on the side of the road. “Why are you crying?” 

“I didn’t think I’d ever see him again,” 

“Who?” 

“Joonie...” Mel gave him a confused look before realizing he _knew_ the Tate family. “I-I honestly thought he was a figment of my imagination after all these years.” Hanse covered his face with his arms, trying to stop the tears but he couldn’t. He didn’t know what came over him – just _seeing_ Dae Joon and his mother again made he remember all the times at the daycare and everything him and Joon would get into. 

So many questions ran through his head – like why Joon never went to Hogwarts? He was a year older than Hanse; he should have been at Hogwarts. Why wasn’t he? Another question was: why didn’t his parents take him away from the situation if they knew? 


End file.
